Several thousands spent the morning at the Soda City Eclipse Market on Main Street while others hit the South Carolina State Museum.

"I would safely estimate that over 50% of our guests today are from out of state," Merritt McNeely, the Marketing Director for the State Museum said.

Inching closer to the total solar eclipse, the excitement is building across the nation.

"I don't know if we have ever had this high concentration of people from out of town in our history. This is bringing people from all over the world and all over the nation to be here today,” Mcneely said.

Last minute spectators are trying to get their hands on eclipse glasses. Shulan Chen, the owner of Solar Eclipse International, is hoping to distribute more than 100,000 pairs of eclipse glasses in Columbia over the weekend at his warehouse on Farrow Road.

Highway Patrol troopers say they are searching for a 2001– 2005 Silver Toyota Sequoia or 2004 – 2005 Toyota Tundra with damage to right front headlight assembly and missing right side mirror. (Source: SCHP)

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is asking for the community’s help in locating a vehicle that was involved in a fatal hit-and-run crash Monday night in Hopkins.